I have mostly worked for startups/small comapnies or been left alone doing special projects 'off the org chart' in larger companies. Somehow none of my managers ever "got round to" doing any sort of review.
After 3 years at this company I suddenly have a performance review with the CEO.
I assumed I was doing OK here. The product I invented is just going out to customer demos, most of my patents got granted, and there are lots of improvements to be made. But now I have to list all the things I did and didn't do, invent some key performance indicators and show which I achieved.
So is a review always a signal to hit the job search again ?